Method for performing function using sensor data and electronic device for providing same

ABSTRACT

An electronic device and method utilizes an external sensor group to facilitate miniaturization the device and repair/replacement of external sensors. An interface connected to an external sensor package including at least one sensor. A processor that when the external sensor package is connected through the interface, determines from which group the external sensor package is included in among pre-configured groups and controls the performance of a function corresponding to the determined group.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/924,004 filed Oct. 27, 2015 which claims the benefit of priorityunder 35 U.S.C. §119(a) of Korean Patent Application No.10-2014-0152025, filed on Nov. 4, 2014, which is hereby incorporated byreference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a method for performing a functionusing sensor data and an electronic device for providing the method.More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a method forperforming a function using sensor data detected by a sensor included inan external sensor package, which is connected to an electronic device,and the electronic device for providing the method.

BACKGROUND

With the development of technology, sensors that perform a variety offunctions are often mounted on/in an electronic device which performsvarious functions. The sensors that are arranged within the electronicdevice are used in various applications, such as, for example, themovement recognition of a user of the electronic device, brightness andtemperature/humidity detection, and surrounding ambient environmentrecognition such as air. In addition, the sensors used in electronicdevice have increased performance, and are becoming more diversified.

The type of sensor(s) used by the electronic device includes an inertiasensor using a 9-axis sensor, a motion sensor, a gesture sensor usinginfrared rays, an illuminance sensor, a fingerprint sensor, temperatureand humidity sensors, an environmental sensor, and a UV sensor, etc.,and the type of sensor has become diversified.

Recently, sensors which have been installed in a smart device arebuilt-in types. That has been the cause of the difficulty of sensorreplacement and error correction when a failure or an error occurs inthe sensor.

As time goes by, a demand towards miniaturization of smart devices hascontinued. In order to meet such demand, manufacturers began to mountsensors which provide various functions inside the miniaturized smartdevices. However, due to the limited mounting space of the smartdevices, it is impossible to implement all sensors to perform thefunctions desired by the user.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, the disclosure is directed to embodiments of a method andapparatus capable of reducing the above-mentioned problems by performinga function using sensor data and an electronic device therefor, whichwill be described herein below.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a method forperforming a function using sensor data of an electronic may include:determining which group of an external sensor package is included amongpre-configured groups when an external sensor package having at leastone sensor is connected to the electronic device; and controlling theperformance of a function corresponding to the determined group.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a method forperforming a function using sensor data of an electronic device mayinclude: determining which group of an external sensor package isincluded among pre-configured groups when an external sensor packagehaving at least one sensor is connected to the electronic device; anddeactivating a function corresponding to a group including the externalsensor package on the basis of the status information of the electronicdevice.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a method forperforming a function using sensor data of an electronic device mayinclude: determining which group of an external package is includedamong pre-configured groups when an external sensor package having atleast one sensor is connected to the electronic device; identifying, bya processor, a function corresponding to the group of the externalpackage includes the external sensor package; determining, by theprocessor, whether an application that provides a particular service isstored on the basis of the identified function; and displaying a graphicuser interface on the basis of the result of whether the application isstored.

An electronic device according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure has an external sensor package detachably attached theretoand thus can reduce the spatial limitation from having a sensor mountedinside the electronic device.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, anelectronic device may provide additional functions to a user by mountingan external sensor package that provides various functions.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, anelectronic device may increase a user convenience of utilizing sensordata by controlling the activation of a function corresponding to anexternal sensor package on the basis of the state information of theelectronic device.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, anelectronic device may increase the availability of performing thefunction of the electronic device user using sensor data by receiving anapplication utilizing the sensor data provided by an external sensorpackage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will become more apparent to a person of ordinaryskill in the art from the following detailed description in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a connection of an electronic device,an external sensor package, and a server according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, are diagrams illustrating respective types of anelectronic device and an external sensor package arranged in an Internetof Things environment and vehicle infotainment device according tovarious embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2C and FIG. 2D are diagrams respectively illustrating arrangementof an electronic device in various locations of an automobile or anoffice.

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are diagrams schematically illustrating variousstructural configurations of an external sensor package according tovarious embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating the connection of aprocessor/controller and an external sensor package of an electronicdevice according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a User Interface (UI) fordisplaying sensor data of an electronic device according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating a UI applicationincluding sensor data according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart providing an operational example of performing afunction on the basis of sensor data according to various embodiments ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart providing an operational example of performing afunction on the basis of the sensor data according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 9 is a flowchart providing an operational example of performing afunction on the basis of the sensor data according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Aperson of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the sameelements will be designated by the same reference numerals although theyare shown in different drawings. Further, a detailed description of aknown function and configuration to a person of ordinary skill in theart which may make the subject matter of the present disclosure unclearmay be omitted. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a connection of anelectronic device 100, an external sensor package 200, and a server/basestation 300 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the electronic device 100 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure may be connected to the externalsensor package 200. The electronic device 100 may be connected to theexternal sensor package 200 by physical coupling. Alternatively or inaddition thereto, the electronic device 100 may be connected to theserver 300 via a wired/wireless communication.

The electronic device 100 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure may include an interface 110, a processor 120, acommunication module 130, a storage module 140 and a display module 150.Each module includes hardware configured for operation, and may beomitted or added according to the type of the electronic device 100. Forexample, the display module 150 may be omitted depending on the type ofthe electronic device 100.

The interface 110 may be a device for connecting an external device. Theinterfaces 110 may be a device that is configured on the basis of alogical condition (e.g., an operating function, the type of a signalline, a signal condition, etc.), an electrical condition (e.g.,impedance, a signal level, etc.), and a physical condition (e.g., ashape of a connector, a pin arrangement, etc.)

With continued reference to FIG. 2, the interface 110 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure may be connected to the externalsensor package 200 including at least one sensor 220. Here, theconnection of the interface 110 and the external sensor package 200 maybe an electrical connection through physical coupling or mounting. Theinterface 110 according to an embodiment may be configured by astandardized form in which physical conditions (e.g., a shape of aconnector, a pin arrangement, etc.) have been standardized.

The processor (i.e. controller) 120, which includes hardware circuitryconfigured for operation including but not limited to an integratedcircuit, may support execution of an initialization process bycontrolling power supply to the components of the electronic device 100and control the components when the initialization process is completed.

The processor 120 according to an embodiment may include a plurality ofprocessors or sub-processors. For example, the processor 120 may beinclude at least one among a first processor (for example, anapplication processor (AP), etc.) that performs complex calculations andhigh-performance graphics, a second processor (for example, acommunication processor (CP), etc.) that may be dedicated tocommunications with a network, for example, via a LTE or 3G, and a thirdprocessor (for example, a supplementary processor (SP), etc.) thatperforms functions at lower power consumption than at least the first orsecond processor.

The processor 120 according to an embodiment of the present disclosuremay recognize the connection of the external sensor package 200. Theprocessor 120 according to an embodiment may detect a voltage value of aGeneral Purpose Input Output port (GPIO) of the processor 120. Accordingto an embodiment, the processor 120 may detect that the GPIO portvoltage value before the external sensor package 200 is coupled orattached to the interface 110, which indicates a relatively high voltagevalue (for example, 1.8V, and 2.0V, etc.) compared to ground. Accordingto an embodiment, since the external sensor package 200 is coupled orattached to the interface 110, the processor 120 may detect that theGPIO port voltage value is changed to the voltage value at ground (forexample, 0V, etc.). The processor 120 according to an embodiment mayrecognize the connection of the external sensor package 200 depending onthe change of the GPIO port voltage value to the voltage value atground.

The processor 120 according to an embodiment of the present disclosuremay determine the type of the sensor 220 included in the recognizedexternal sensor package 200.

The processor 120 according to an embodiment of the disclosure mayidentify a voltage information value, which is sensed at an area of theprocessor 120, corresponds to the sensor 220, and is stored in thestorage module 140, and an identification information valuecorresponding to the sensor 220. The processor 120 according to anembodiment may identify a voltage level value sensed at one port (e.g.,a GPIO ID detection port, etc.) of the processor 120. For example, whenthe voltage level sensed at the one port of the processor 120 is 0.45V,a sensor 220 included in the external sensor package 200 may bedetermined as a proximity sensor on the basis of a table stored in thestorage module 140.

The processor 120 according to an embodiment may transmit the slaveaddress (ID), from 0 bit (e.g., 0000 0000) thereof to the externalsensor package 200 on the basis of Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C)communication. The transmission of the slave address may be transmittedsequentially. The processor 120 according to an embodiment may transmitto the external sensor package 200 in a pre-stored sequence (e.g., thesequence specified by a user or a provider, the sequence specified bycall frequency, etc.). For example, when the slave address (ID) is ahexadecimal number “0005 1234”, the processor 120 may extract some typesof the sensor 220 by transmitting “0005” first and transmit “1234” tothe extracted sensor 220.

The processor 120 according to an embodiment may determine the type ofsensor on the basis of the upper four-digit bits in the hexadecimalnumber. For example, Referring to Table 1, by checking the “0002” in theidentification information “0002 0001” of the geomagnetic sensor, theprocessor 120 may determine that the geomagnetic sensor is included inthe external sensor package 200. In another example, referring to Table1, identification number of the proximity and optical sensor is storedas “0004 1001”, and the processor 120, by checking the “0004” which isthe upper bits of the hexadecimal number, may determine that theproximity sensor is included in the external sensor package 200.

When determining the upper four-digit bits of the hexadecimal number foridentification information including at least two sensors, the processor120 according to an embodiment may give a priority to the upperfour-digit bits having the smaller value. For example, when the upperfour-digit bits of the proximity sensor is “0004” and the upperfour-digit bits of the optical sensor is “0005”, the identificationinformation of the proximity and optical sensor may give the priority tothe proximity sensor having the smaller bit value and determine theupper four-digit bits of the proximity and optical sensor as “0004”.

The upper four digits of a hexadecimal number of the identificationinformation of Table 1 according to an embodiment may be determined onthe basis of the types of independent sensors. For example, referring toTable 1, the gyroscope can be assigned as “0003,” the proximity sensorcan be assigned as “0004,” and the light sensor can be assigned as“0005”. The upper four-digit bits of the hexadecimal numbercorresponding to each sensor can be changed and updated. Lowerfour-digit bits of identification information in Table 1 may varydepending on the version and the manufacturer of each sensor, and thelike.

When the processor 120 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure receives an acknowledge character (ACK) from the externalsensor package 200, the processor 120 may determine the type of thesensor on a basis of the Table 1, which is stored in advance. Forexample, when the identification information value (for example, theacknowledgment character, etc.) received by the processor 120 is “00050001”, the processor determines that one sensor 220 included in theexternal sensor package 200 is an optical sensor.

TABLE 1 Identification information (ID: Identification) Sensor type 00000001 Acceleration sensor 0001 0001 Atmospheric pressure sensor 0002 0001Geomagnetic sensor 0003 0001 Gyroscope 0004 0001 Proximity sensor 00050001 Optical sensor 0006 0001 Temperature sensor 0007 0001 Humiditysensor 0008 0001 Gesture sensor 0009 0001 Ultraviolet-ray sensor 00100001 Grip sensor 0011 0001 Fingerprint sensor 0012 0001 Hall sensor 00130001 Short-range wireless communication sensor 0014 0001 Heart ratesensor 0004 1001 Proximity and optical sensor 0000 1001 Acceleration andgyro sensor 0000 1002 Acceleration and geomagnetic sensor 0000 1003Acceleration, geomagnetic, and gyro sensor 0006 1001 Temperature andhumidity sensor

Here, the identification information value can be updated, and sensorsthat have the same purpose but perform different functions from eachother may be configured by identification information values differentfrom each other.

The processor 120 according to an embodiment of the present disclosuremay sequentially determine the type of the sensor 220 when multiplesensors 220 are included in the external sensor package 200. Forexample, when a first external sensor package 200 configured by a firstsensor and a second sensor and the second external sensor package 200configured by a third sensor are connected to each other, the processor120 may sequentially determine the types of the first sensor, the secondsensor, and the third sensor.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when sequentiallydetermining each type of the sensor 220, the processor 120 may, forexample, sequentially determine, the function provided from therespective sensors 220 on the basis of at least one information valueamong the voltage information value sensed at one area (for example, aport, a pin, etc.) of the processor 120 corresponding to the respectivesensors 220 and the identification information value corresponding tothe respective sensors 220.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor 120 maytransmit a signal for requesting an update of information to the server300 when the processor determines that the identification informationvalue corresponding to the sensor 220 is not stored. For example, whenreceiving the update information from the server 300, the processor 120may update the identification information value described in Table 1 onthe basis of the received information.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor 120, whichincludes hardware circuitry configured for operation and may also bereferred to a controller, may determine which group the external sensorpackage 200 is included in among the pre-configured groups on the basisof the function provided by the sensor 220. Here, the pre-configuredgroups may mean groups that are classified by particular criteria. Here,the groups may be configured or changed by the user or the provider.

For example, an activity group on the basis of the user's motion mayinclude an accelerometer sensor, a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor andan atmospheric pressure sensor. In another example, an environmentalgroup on the basis of the measurement of the surrounding environment mayinclude an ultraviolet sensor, the temperature/humidity sensor, a voicesensor, a gas sensor, and an illuminance sensor. For example, thecontrol group on the basis of the control of a particular service mayinclude, for example, a proximity sensor, a gesture sensor, a touchsensor, and a gyroscope. Further, a bio group on the basis of thebiological information of the user of the electronic device 100 mayinclude, for example, a heart rate sensor and the fingerprint sensor.Furthermore, a health group associated with exercise may include anacceleration sensor, a heart rate sensor and a UV sensor.

Here, the activity group, the environmental group, the control group,the bio-group and health group may adjust the acquisition period of thesensor data included in each group, in order to execute the functionscorresponding to the above-mentioned groups. For example, theenvironmental group may activate the sensors included in theenvironmental group on a minute or hourly basis and acquire the sensordata, and the health group may activate the sensors included in thehealth group at one day intervals and acquire the sensor data. Thedetection time corresponding to each group can be adjusted and changedas desired.

The processor 120 may determine that the type of sensor 220 included inthe external sensor package 200 is, for example, the accelerationsensor, the gyroscope, the geomagnetic sensor and the atmosphericpressure sensor. The processor 120 may determine a group correspondingto the external sensor package 200 as an activity group. For example,when the group corresponding to the external sensor package 200 isincluded in the activity groups, the processor 120 may relativelyshorten (for example, a few millisecond, etc.) the time of sensor dataobtained by each sensor 220 in order to accurately determine the user'smovement.

The processor 120 according to an embodiment of the present disclosuremay control the performance of a function corresponding to a groupdetermined by the external sensor package 200 among the pre-configuredgroups. The processor 120 according to the embodiment may control theexecution of the application on the basis of the sensor data provided bythe group including the sensor 220 included in the external sensorpackage 200. The processor 120 may control the display module 150 todisplay, on the screen, the sensor data detected by the sensor 220included in the external sensor package 200. For example, when theexternal sensor package 200 includes an illuminance sensor and atemperature sensor, the processor 120 may equal to or control thedisplay module 150 to display, on an output screen of the displaymodule, a text image (e.g., 100 lux, 25 degrees) associated with thesensor data obtained by each of the sensor 220.

The processor 120 according to an embodiment of the present disclosuremay control the deactivation a function corresponding to the group thatincludes the external sensor package on the basis of the statusinformation on the electronic device 100.

The processor 120 according to an embodiment of the present disclosuremay check the battery condition of the electronic device 100, and whenthe checked battery condition reaches the pre-configured batterycondition, the processor 120 may deactivate the function correspondingto the group. For example, when the battery condition of the electronicdevice 100 is 15% when compared to the full charge (e.g., 95% or morecharge or 99% charge, etc.), the processor 120 may deactivate thefunction corresponding to a group that includes the external sensorpackage 200.

The processor 120 according to an embodiment of the present disclosuremay identify the temperature value of at least one of the processor 120and the battery of the electronic device 100, and when the identifiedtemperature value is equal to or greater than the pre-configuredcritical temperature value, the processor 120 may deactivate a functioncorresponding to a group. For example, when the temperature value of atleast one of the processor 120 and the battery of the electronic device100 is 40 degrees or more, the processor 120 may deactivate the functioncorresponding to the group that includes the external sensor package200.

The processor 120 according to an embodiment of the present disclosuremay identify a capacitance value usable by the storage module 140 of theelectronic device 100, and when the identified capacitance value isequal to or less than the pre-configured critical capacitance value, theprocessor 120 may control deactivation of a function corresponding to agroup that includes the external sensor package 200. For example, whenthe capacitance value usable by the storage module 140 of the electronicdevice 100 is 85% or more when compared to the full capacity, theprocessor 120 may deactivate the function corresponding to the groupthat includes the external sensor package 200.

The processor 120 according to an embodiment of the present disclosuremay control the display module 150 to display, on the screen, a graphicuser interface corresponding to the group that includes the externalsensor package 200. For example, the processor 120 may control thedisplay module 150 to display, on the screen, the sensor data detectedby the external sensor package 200, manufacturer information,information on the sensor type, sensor sensing period information,feedback information corresponding to the detected sensor data,information on whether the external device is connected, and a commandinput item that may change the execution of functions of the externaldevice.

The processor 120 according to an embodiment of the present disclosuremay identify a function corresponding to a group that includes theexternal sensor package 200. The processor 120 may determine whether anapplication that provides a particular service is stored on a basis ofthe identified function. When the processor determines that theapplication is stored, the processor 120 may control the display module150 to display, on the screen, a graphic user interface associated withthe stored applications.

For example, the processor 120 may determine whether the healthapplication that provides a health service using the heart rate sensorand the acceleration sensor is stored in the storage module 140. Whenthe processor determines that the health application is stored, theprocessor 120 may display, on the screen, an image item requestingwhether the health application is activated, or control the healthapplication to be executed automatically.

The processor 120 according to an embodiment of the present disclosuremay determine whether the application corresponding to the group thatincludes the external sensor package 200 is stored in the storage module140. When the application is not stored in the storage module 140, theprocessor 120 may control a communication module 130 so as to transmit asignal requesting the application information that provides a particularservice to the server 300 on the basis of the identified functions.

For example, when the group included in the external sensor package 200is an activity group using the acceleration sensor, the gyroscopesensor, the atmospheric pressure sensor, and the geomagnetic sensor, theprocessor 120 may transmit, to the server 300, a signal requestingapplication information performed on the basis of the functions of theacceleration sensor, the gyroscope sensor, the atmospheric pressuresensor and the geomagnetic sensor.

The processor 120 according to an embodiment of the present disclosuremay receive application information that provides a particular serviceon the basis of the function identified from the server 300. Theprocessor 120 according to an embodiment may control the display module150 to display, on the screen, a graphic user interface associated withthe received application on the basis of the received applicationinformation.

The processor 120 according to an embodiment may control thecommunication module 130 so as to receive an application providing atleast one function among the functions provided by the group included inthe external sensor package 200. For example, when transmitting, to theserver 300, a signal requesting application information using theacceleration sensor and the atmospheric pressure sensor, the processor120 may further receive application information that uses theacceleration sensor. The processor 120 according to an embodiment maycontrol the display module 150 to display a list, on the screen, byconfiguring the list of the received application information. Whendisplaying the list of the received application information, theprocessor 120 may display the prioritized application information on thebasis of the number of types of sensor 220 that are included in theexternal sensor package 200 to be utilized in the received application.

Here, the received application information may include, for example, atleast one image from among thumbnail images of the received application,text images associated with the sensor utilized in the receivedapplication, text images that describe the functions provided from thereceived application, and shortcut icon images that can store thereceived application.

The communication module 130, which includes hardware such as atransmitter, receiver, or transceiver, and an antenna array, maycommunicate with an external device. The communication module 130according to an embodiment may communicate with the external device(e.g., a server 300, another electronic device (e.g., a humidifier, arefrigerator, TV, etc.) via a wireless communication or wiredcommunication. The wireless communication may include at least one of,for example, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (BT), Near Field Communication (NFC),Global Positioning System (GPS) and cellular communication (e.g. LTE,LTE-A, CDMA, WCDMA, UMTS, WiBro, GSM, etc.). Also, the wiredcommunication may include at least one of, for example, a UniversalSerial Bus (USB), a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI),Recommended Standard 232 (RS-232), and a Plain Old Telephone Service(POTS).

According to an example of the present disclosure, when an applicationthat provides a particular service is not stored on the basis of thefunction corresponding to the group that includes the external sensorpackage 200, the communication module 130 may transmit, to the server300, a signal requesting the application information that provides theparticular service on the basis of the function corresponding to thegroup. According to an embodiment, the communication module 130 mayreceive the application information that provides the particular servicein response to the signal requesting the application information fromthe server 300.

The storage module 140, which includes a non-transitory memory, maystore commands or data generated by the processor 120 or othercomponents (e.g., the communication module 130, the display module 150,etc.). The storage module 140 may include software, firmware, hardware,or a combination of at least two thereof. The storage module 140according to an embodiment may store the voltage information value andthe identification information value corresponding to the type of sensor220 included in the external sensor package 200.

The display 150 module, which includes a display such as a thin-filmdisplay with touch sensors, may display, on the screen, the userinterface that provides various pieces of information (for example,multimedia data or text data) to the user. The display module 150according to an embodiment may be omitted depending on the type of theelectronic device 100.

The display module 150 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure may control the display module 150 so as to display, on thescreen, a graphical user interface which corresponds to determined onegroup the external sensor package 200 is included in among thepre-configured group. For example, the display module 150 may controlthe display module 150 to display, on the screen, the graphic userinterface associated with the sensor data detected by the determined onegroup.

The display module 150 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure may display the graphic user interface associated with theapplication on the screen, when the processor determines that anapplication that provides a particular service on the basis of thefunction corresponding to the group including the external sensorpackage 200 is stored in the storage module 140.

The external sensor package 200 may be coupled to the interface 110 ofthe electronic device 100. The external sensor package 200 may bephysically mounted on the interface 110 and receive power from theelectronic device 100.

The external sensor package 200 may include a controller 210 which isimplemented in hardware including one or more processors havingcircuitry configured for operation, at least one sensor 220, and the pad230.

The hardware of controller 210 may include a control circuit forcontrolling the at least one sensor. The controller 210 may beconfigured to process commands received through logical operations suchas AND/OR/NOR/XOR on the basis of a clock signal applied through a pad230. The controller 210 may be configured by basic hardware elementssuch as transistors, diodes, amplifiers, and resistors.

At least one sensor 220 may be at least one from among the gesturesensor, the gyro sensor, the atmospheric pressure sensor, thegeomagnetic sensor, the acceleration sensor, the grip sensor, theproximity sensor, the biological sensor, the temperature sensor, thehumidity sensor, the illuminance sensor, and the ultraviolet sensor.Further, at least one sensor 220 may include an olfactory sensor, anelectromyography (EMG) sensor, an electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor, anelectrocardiogram (ECG) sensor, an infrared ray (IR) sensor, an irissensor, a fingerprint sensor (not shown), and the like.

The pad 230 may be a port and includes a pin which connects to theinterface 110 of the electronic device 100. The pad 230 may beconfigured from pin 1 to pin 10, and each of the pins may be configuredto apply power supply or to execute the I2C communication.

The server 300 may be a device (such as a server, proxy server, or basestation) that provides a service to the electronic device 100 or anotherelectronic device via a network.

The server 300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure mayreceive, from the electronic device 100, a signal requesting the updateof an identification information value (e.g., 0000 0032 (hexadecimal),octal, etc.) corresponding to the sensor 220. The server 300, inresponse to the received request signal, may transmit the updateinformation of the identification information value corresponding to thesensor 220 to the electronic device 100.

The server 300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure mayreceive, from the electronic device 100, a signal requesting applicationinformation that provides a particular service on the basis of the typeof sensor 220. The server 300, on the basis of the type of sensor 220,may extract an application that provides a particular service. Theserver 300 may transmit the extracted application-related information tothe electronic device 100.

FIGS. 2A to 2D are diagrams illustrating types of an electronic device100 and an external sensor package 200 according to various embodimentsof the present disclosure.

Referring now to FIG. 2A, the electronic device 100 may be a deviceincluding hardware configured for performing a communication functionvia wired or wireless communication. For example, the electronic devicemay include at least one of a smart phone, a tablet personal computer(PCs), a mobile phone, a video phone, an e-book reader, a desktop PC, alaptop PC, a netbook computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), aportable multimedia player (PMP), a MP3 player, a mobile medical device,a camera, a wearable device (e.g., head-mounted-device (HMD) such aselectronic glasses, electronic clothes, an electronic bracelet, anelectronic necklace, an electronic appcessory, an electronic tattoo, ora smart watch).

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 100 may be asmart home appliance including a communication function. The smart homeappliance as an example of the electronic device may include at leastone of, for example, a television, a Digital Video Disk (DVD) player, anaudio, a refrigerator, an air conditioner, a vacuum cleaner, an oven, amicrowave oven, a washing machine, an air cleaner, a set-top box, a TVbox (e.g., Samsung HomeSync™, Apple TV™, or Google TV™), a game console,an electronic dictionary, an electronic key, a camcorder, and anelectronic picture frame.

According to some embodiments, the electronic device 200 may include atleast one of various medical appliances (e.g., magnetic resonanceangiography (MRA), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography(CT), and ultrasonic machines), navigation equipment, a globalpositioning system (GPS) receiver, an event data recorder (EDR), aflight data recorder (FDR), automotive infotainment device, electronicequipment for ships (e.g., ship navigation equipment and a gyrocompass),avionics, security equipment, a vehicle head unit, an industrial or homerobot, an automatic teller machine (ATM) of a banking system, and apoint of sales (POS) of a shop.

According to some embodiments, the electronic device may include atleast one of furniture or a part of a building/structure, an electronicboard, an electronic signature receiving device, a projector, andvarious types of measuring devices (for example, a water meter, anelectric meter, a gas meter, a radio wave meter and the like) includinga camera function.

Referring to 201 in FIG. 2A, the electronic device 100 may be a wearabledevice mounted on the wearable device 201. The wearable device, whichcontains the electronic device 100, may include a home area capable ofcoupling an external sensor package 200 to one area. The electronicdevice 100 has the external sensor package 200 coupled to the home areaand thus can recognize the external sensor package 200.

Referring to 202, the electronic device 100 may be embodied as arefrigerator. The refrigerator, which corresponds to the electronicdevice 100, may include the home area capable of coupling an externalsensor package 200 to one area. The refrigerator, which corresponds tothe electronic device 100, may recognize the external sensor package 200by which the external sensor package 200 is coupled to the home area.

According to another embodiment, a plurality (e.g., two, three, four,etc.) of external sensor packages 200 can be coupled to the electronicdevice 100. For example, a plurality of external sensor packages 200which provide functions of detecting various types of smell (forexample, fragrant smell, putrid smell, spicy smell, etc.) can be coupledto the electronic device 100. Further, for example, the home areacapable of coupling the external sensor package 200 may be configured inthree areas of the refrigerator which is the electronic device 100. Theexternal sensor package 200, which detects the fragrant smell, theputrid smell, and the spicy smell, can be coupled to each of the threeareas. The refrigerator, which corresponds to an electronic device 100,may acquire sensor data on the fragrant smell, the putrid smell, and thespicy smell.

Referring now to 203, the electronic device 100 may be a device capableof communicating in an Internet of Things based environment. Theelectronic device 100 may include a processor 120, a communicationmodule 130, and a battery 160, and the home area capable of coupling theexternal sensor package 200 can be arranged. The electronic device 100has the external sensor package 200 coupled to the home area and thuscan recognize the external sensor package 200. The electronic device 100according to an embodiment may transmit and receive the sensor dataacquired through the communication module 130 to and from anotherelectronic device. Referring now to items 204 to 207 in FIG. 2B, theelectronic device 100 includes any of an air conditioner, a washingmachine, a refrigerator and a TV such that one area is configured so asto couple the external sensor package 200. The electronic device 100 hasthe external sensor package 200 coupled to one area and thus canrecognize the external sensor package 200.

When the electronic device 100 according to an embodiment is an airconditioner, the electronic device 100 can be connected to the externalsensor package 200 for detecting an air condition. For example, when theelectronic device 100 is an air conditioner, the electronic device 100can be connected to the external sensor package 200 for detecting an aircondition and then providing a control function of the air conditioner.When the electronic device 100 according to an embodiment is a washingmachine, the electronic device 100 can be connected to the externalsensor package 200 for detecting noise.

When the electronic device 100 according to an embodiment is arefrigerator, the electronic device 100 can be connected to the externalsensor package 200 for detecting gas or temperature. For example, whenthe electronic device 100 is a refrigerator, it can be connected to theexternal sensor package 200 that provides a function for sensing a smellor authenticating a person.

When the electronic device 100 according to an embodiment is a TV, theelectronic device 100 can be connected to the external sensor package200 for sensing the illuminance. For example, when the electronic device100 is the TV, it can be connected to the external sensor package 200that includes at least one of the illuminance sensor and an IR lightsensor 220. The external sensor package 200 which is connected to theelectronic device 100 may be replaced with different types of externalsensor packages 200 according to the user's interest.

Referring now to FIG. 2C, in an Internet of Things based environment,the electronic device 100 coupled to the external sensor package 200 maybe attached, adhered, welded, fused, or coupled here and there in thehouse. The user of the electronic device 100 may identify sensor datadetected by the external sensor package 200 that provides functions suchas an illuminance sensor, a gas detection sensor, a temperature sensor,and a humidity sensor here and there in the house. For example, theexternal sensor package 200 coupled to the electronic device 100 mayacquire sensor data (e.g., temperature data, humidity data, aircondition data, gas data, etc.). Multiple types of the external sensorpackage 200 may be installed in the home and may be exchanged inaccordance with the user's interest.

According to an embodiment, in the Internet of Things based environment,the electronic device 100 including the external sensor package 200disposed in different locations in a home may acquire sensor data (e.g.,temperature data, humidity data, etc.). The electronic device 100including the external sensor package 200 may transmit and receive theacquired sensor data to and from another electronic device. For example,humidity data acquired by the first electronic device may be transmittedto a second electronic device. The second electronic device may receivehumidity data from the first electronic device. The second electronicdevice according to an embodiment, on the basis of the received humiditydata, may perform a specific function (for example, power control of adevice that performs a humidity control function).

Referring now to FIG. 2D, the electronic device 100 may be a vehicleinfotainment device. When the electronic device 100 is a vehicleinfotainment device, the external sensor package 200 can be coupled toone area of the vehicle by attachment, adhesion or the like. The vehicleinfotainment device, which corresponds to the electronic device 100, mayrecognize the external sensor package 200. For example, the externalsensor package 200 attached to the vehicle may be the external sensorpackage 200 that provides the functions of the temperature sensor, thehumidity sensor, the acceleration sensor, and the like.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams schematically showing a configuration of anexternal sensor package 200 according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

Referring now to items 301 and 303 in FIG. 3A, the external sensorpackage 200 may include, for example, a pad 230 and a housing 240.

The pad 230 may be configured by pins which are connected to theinterface. The housing 240 may be a flexible material or rigid material.

The housing 240 may include any material including but not limited tojelly, plastic, rubber, leather, or Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene(ABS) resin, polyamide (PA), polyacetal (POA), polycarbonate (PC),modified polyethylene oxide (M-PRO), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT),polyimide (PI), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyamide-imide (PAI),polyetherimide (PEI), polyetherketone (PEK), a liquid crystal polyester(LCP), alternating polypropylene (SPS), silicone, metal, or inorganicmaterials, or a synthetic material thereof. Further, for example, thehousing 240 may be at least one among chamude, artificial leather, suedefabric, microfiber, rubber, urethane, silicon, leather, syntheticleather, and a fiber.

The housing 240 according to an embodiment may include a connecting linkwhich can be affixed to the electronic device 100.

Referring now to items to 305, 307 in FIG. 3B, the housing 240 of theexternal sensor package 200 may include a hole 241 therein, or, forexample two holes 243 therein, or a non-circular hole (not shown),irregularly shaped hole, etc. For example, the sensor 220 which providesvarious functions (for example, ultraviolet rays, gas, fingerprintsensor, temperature and humidity detection, etc.) can be coupled to thehousing 240 by adhesion, welding, fusion, etc. In addition, for example,when a sound wave and a medium have to adhere to the inside of thesensor 220 (e.g., voice sensors, environmental sensors, etc.) dependingon the function provided by the sensor 220, the housing 240 can becouple to the external sensor package 200 through the one hole 241 orthe two holes 243.

Referring to item 309 in FIG. 3B, the housing 240 of the outer sensorpackage 200 may include a surface 245. Here, the surface 245 is notlimited to the shape, and can be configured in the form of variousshapes (e.g., a circular, a square, a triangular, a diamond, anon-linear shaped form, etc.). For example, the housing 240 of theexternal sensor package 200 may include a predetermined surface capableof acquiring an outside light, a sound wave, a material and electrode.For example, when the outside light has to be entered depending on thefunction provided by the sensor 220, the external sensor package 200 mayinclude a circular surface which provides a function such as a lens or aphotodiode of the external sensor package 200. Further, for example,when a function provided by the sensor 220 is a fingerprint sensor, thehousing 240 of the external sensor package 200 may include apredetermined surface in order to obtain a human fingerprint.

The housing 240 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure maybe configured alone or as a predetermined surface in various forms(e.g., a circular, triangular, rectangular, or non-linear shape andform). The shape and form of the housing 240 may vary depending on thetype of sensor 220, and can be configured in various ways not limited toa particular form. In accordance with an embodiment, the housing 240 ofthe external sensor package 200 can be configured and changed accordingto the functions provided by the sensor 220.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the connection of theprocessor 120 and the external sensor package 200 of an electronicdevice 100 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

The external sensor package 200 may include ten pads 230. Here, the pad230 refers to a pin connected with the processor 120.

For example, pin 1 may be a pin by which power is supplied to theexternal sensor package 200, and pin 2 may be a pin connected to aground voltage. Pin 3 may be a pin for connecting power (for example,1.8V, etc.) supplied to determine the input and output of the externalsensor package 200, and pin 4 may be a pin connected to the groundvoltage. Pin 5 may be a pin which applies a synchronization clock signalin an Inter-integrated circuit (I2C) communication, and pin 6 may be apin which transmits and receives data (e.g., address, data, ACK, etc.)in the I2C communications. Pin 7 may be a pin which uses an interruptmode in order to improve the current consumption, pin 8 may be a pin forinitializing the sensor. Pins 9 and 10 may be pins by which it ispossible to know the identification information for identification ofthe sensor 220 and whether the sensor has been recognized or not.

The processor 120 according to an embodiment of the present disclosuremay recognize the connection of the external sensor package 200. Whenthe external sensor package 200 is not connected or is not mounted, theprocessor 120 may detect, by a pull-up register, that the voltage of theGPIO port indicates 1.8V. The processor 120 may recognize that theexternal sensor package 200 is not connected, by detecting that thevoltage of the GPIO port is higher than the ground voltage.

The processor 120, according to an embodiment, may detect the voltage ofthe GPIO port, which indicates a voltage lower than 1.8 V since theexternal sensor package 200 is connected or mounted thereto and the pin2 and pin 10 of the pad 230 are thus internally connected (short). Theprocessor 120 may recognize that the external sensor package 200 isconnected thereto by detecting whether the voltage of the GPIO port islower than the ground voltage.

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a User Interface (UI) fordisplaying sensor data of an electronic device 100 according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the display module150 of the electronic device 100 may display the sensor data on thescreen.

According to an embodiment, the display module 150 may display a sensordata time image item 501 on the screen, on the basis of the time atwhich the sensor data is measured by at least one sensor 220 included inthe external sensor package 200. For example, when the time detected bythe sensor 220 is “2014 Oct. 6 12:00”, the display module 150 maydisplay a related UI on the screen.

According to an embodiment, the display module 150 may display a sensordata item 503 on the screen, on the basis of the sensor data measured byat least one sensor 220 included in the external sensor package 200. Forexample, when the sensor data detected by the sensor 220 are“temperature: 25□, humidity 20% RH”, the display module 150 may displaya related UI on the screen.

The processor 120, according to an embodiment, may be configured tocompare the sensor data which is previously stored in the storage module140 and the sensor data received from the sensor 220. Here, the sensordata previously stored in the storage module 140 can be the userpre-configured temperature data, humidity data, heart rate data, and thelike.

For example, when the sensor data received from the sensor 220 exceeds amargin of error (e.g., within 5%, within 10%, etc.) of the sensor datastored in advance in the storage module 140, the processor 120 maycontrol so as to display a pre-configured comment on the screen. Inaddition, for example, when the humidity which is pre-configured by theuser is “30% RH” and the humidity data received from the sensor 220 is“20% RH”, the processor 120 may control the display module 150 todisplay, on the screen, a comment item 505 of which the comment ispre-configured in the storage module 140, the comment being “Currenthumidity is low. Please turn on the humidifier”. Here, the comments canbe stored in the storage module 140 in advance.

The processor 120 according to an embodiment may be configured tocontrol the communication module 130 to be connected with otherelectronic devices (for example, a refrigerator, a humidifier, TV,etc.). For example, the communication module 130 may be connected toanother electronic device via a wireless communication or near fieldcommunication. When receiving the reference data (for example,temperature data, humidity data, illumination data, heart rate data, andthe like) pre-configured by the user and the sensor data exceeding amargin of error (e.g., within 5%, within 10%, etc.), the processor 120may extract another electronic device capable of reducing the margin oferror.

For example, when receiving 1 Lux sensor data lower than the illuminancedata, 10 Lux, configured by the user, the processor 120 may extract aswitching device capable of turning on a fluorescent lamp. The displaymodule 150 may display, on the screen, a connection status item 507which may identify whether the extracted device and the electronicdevice 100 are connected to each other.

The processor 120 according to an embodiment of the present disclosuremay be configured to control transmitting, to other devices (e.g., ahumidifier, air conditioner, etc.), a command request signal forswitching (for example, turn-on, turn-off, volume adjustment, intensityregulation, etc.) via the communication module 130. The processor 120according to an embodiment may control the display module 150 to displaythe command items 509 on the screen so as to execute the function byturning on the humidifier which is the extracted device. For example,when a user input for the command items 509 is detected, the processor120 may transmit a signal requesting a turn-on command to thehumidifier.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing an application UI includingsensor data according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

The processor 120 according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure may be configured to identify the group that is included inthe external sensor package 200 and identify whether the applicationwhich utilizes the sensor data provided by the identified group isstored in the storage module 140. When the application which utilizesthe sensor data is not stored in the storage module 140, the processor120 may control transmitting a signal requesting the applicationinformation to the server 300 via the communication module. Theprocessor 120 may receive the application information from the server300 via the communication module and display the application-related UIon the screen, on the basis of the received information.

The processor 120 may display, on the screen, a first application 610, asecond application 620 and a third application 630 received from theserver 300. The processor 120 may control the application displayed onthe screen by detecting a moving input events for a scroll item 640.

The first application 610 may include a thumbnail image 611 of the firstapplication, a downloading shortcut icon image 613 capable of storingthe first application 610, a text image 615 for explaining functionsprovided from the first application 610, and a sensor type text image617 utilized in the first application 610. Here, the sensor type textimage 617 may be the type of sensor utilized by the first application610. For example, the first application 610 may provide a particularservice of the first application 610 using the proximity sensor, theacceleration sensor, and the touch sensor.

The processor 120 may receive the application information which utilizesat least one type of the types of sensors included in the externalsensor package 200. For example, the processor 120 may receive theapplication information which utilizes at least one sensor when the typeof sensors included in the external sensor package 200 is the proximitysensor, the acceleration sensor, and the touch sensor.

The second application 620 may include a thumbnail image 621 of thesecond application, a download shortcut image 623 capable of storing thesecond application 620, a text image 625 which describes functionsprovided from the second application 620, and a sensor type text image627 utilized in the second application 620. Here, the sensor type textimage 627 may be a type of sensor utilized by second application 620.For example, the second application 620 may provide a particular serviceof the second application 620 by utilizing the proximity sensor and theacceleration sensor.

The third application 630 may include a thumbnail image 631 of the thirdapplication, a download shortcut image 633 capable of storing the thirdapplication 630, a text image 635 which describes functions providedfrom the third application 630, and a sensor type text image 637utilized in the third application 630. Here, the sensor type text image637 may be a type of sensor utilized by third application 630. Forexample, the third application 630 may provide a particular service ofthe third application 630 by utilizing the proximity sensor.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart providing an operational example of performing thefunction on the basis of the sensor data according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure.

In operation 701, when the external sensor package 200 including atleast one sensor 220 is connected to the electronic device 100, theelectronic device 100 may determine which group the external sensorpackage 200 is included in among the pre-configured groups.

The electronic device 100 according to an embodiment may recognize theconnection of the external sensor package 200, when the external sensorpackage 200 is connected to the electronic device 100. The electronicdevice 100 may recognize the connection of the external sensor package200 through a voltage change sensed at one area (e.g., one pin of aconnector, etc.) of the electronic device 100.

The electronic device 100 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure may determine the type of the sensor 220 included in therecognized external sensor package 200. The electronic device 100 maydetermine the type of sensor 220 on the basis of a voltage value sensedat one area (e.g., one pin of a connector, etc.) of the electronicdevice 100 corresponding to the sensor 220, or an identificationinformation value received from the external sensor package 200. Forexample, the electronic device 100 may determine the type of sensor 220on the basis of the voltage value corresponding to the sensor 220 andstored in the storage module 140 and the identification informationvalue table.

The electronic device 100, on the basis of the type of the determinedsensor 220, may determine which group the external sensor package 200 isincluded in among the pre-configured groups. The pre-configured groupsmay be groups which are classified by any criterion (for example, thecriteria according to the user's movements, the criteria associated withthe acquisition of the sensor data, etc.).

In operation 703, the electronic device 100 controls the performance ofthe function corresponding to the determined group. For example, theelectronic device 100 may adjust a data acquisition period of thesensors 220 that are included in the external sensor package 200 on thebasis of the sensor data acquisition period corresponding to thedetermined group. Further, for example, the electronic device 100 mayactivate the application that provides a particular service on the basisof the type of sensor 220 included in the external sensor package 200.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operational example of performing thefunction on the basis of the sensor data according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure.

In operation 801, when the external sensor package 200 including atleast one sensor 220 is connected to the electronic device 100, theprocessor of the electronic device 100 determines which group theexternal sensor package 200 is included in among the pre-configuredgroups.

According to an embodiment, when the external sensor package 200 isconnected to the electronic device 100, the electronic device 100 mayrecognize the connection of the external sensor package 200. Theelectronic device 100 may recognize the connection of the externalsensor package 200 via the voltage change sensed at the one area (e.g.,one pin of a connector, etc.) of the electronic device 100.

The electronic device 100 may determine the type of the sensor 220included in the recognized external sensor package 200. The electronicdevice 100 may determine the type of sensor 220 on the basis of thevoltage value sensed at one area (for example, one pin of the connector,etc.) of the electronic device 100 corresponding to the sensor 220 orthe identification information value received from the external sensorpackage 200. For example, the electronic device 100 may determine thetype of sensor 220 on the basis of the voltage value corresponding tothe sensor 220 stored in the storage module 140 and the identificationinformation value table.

The electronic device 100, on the basis of the type of the determinedsensor 220, may determine which group the external sensor package 200 isincluded in among the pre-configured groups. The pre-configured groupsmay be groups classified by any criterion (for example, the criteriaaccording to the user's movements, the criteria associated with thesensor data acquisition, etc.).

In operation 803, the processor of the electronic device 100 controlsdeactivating the functions corresponding to the group that includes theexternal sensor package 200 on the basis of the status information onthe electronic device 100. For example, when the battery state of theelectronic device 100, the temperature value of the processor 120, orthe memory capacity value of the storage module 140 satisfies apredetermined threshold value, the electronic device 100 may deactivatethe function corresponding to the external sensor package 200 whenrecognizing the connection of the external sensor package 200.

FIG. 9 shows a flowchart of performing the function based on the sensordata according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

In operation 901, when the external sensor package 200 including atleast one sensor 220 is connected to the electronic device 100, theelectronic device 100 may determine which group the external sensorpackage 200 is included in among the pre-configured groups.

According to an embodiment, when the external sensor package 200 isconnected to the electronic device 100, the electronic device 100 mayrecognize the connection of the external sensor package 200. Theelectronic device 100 may recognize the connection of the externalsensor package 200 via the voltage change sensed at the one area (e.g.,one pin of a connector, etc.) of the electronic device 100.

The electronic device 100 may determine the type of the sensor 220included in the recognized external sensor package 200. The processor ofthe electronic device 100 may determine the type of sensor 220 based onthe voltage value sensed at one area (for example, one pin of theconnector, etc.) of the electronic device 100 corresponding to thesensor 220 or the identification information value received from theexternal sensor package 200. For example, the electronic device 100 maydetermine the type of sensor 220 on the basis of the voltage valuecorresponding to the sensor 220 stored in the storage module 140 and theidentification information value table.

The processor of the electronic device 100, on the basis of the type ofthe determined sensor 220, may determine which group the external sensorpackage 200 is included in among the pre-configured groups. Thepre-configured groups may be groups classified by any criterion (forexample, the criteria according to the user's movements, the criteriaassociated with the sensor data acquisition, etc.).

In operation 903, the electronic device 100 identifies the functioncorresponding to the group that includes the external sensor package200. In operation 905, the electronic device 100 determines, on thebasis of the identified function, whether an application that provides aparticular service is stored.

When the application that provides a particular service is stored in thestorage module 140 on the basis of the identified function, theelectronic device 100 may display a graphic user interface associatedwith the application on a screen, in operation 907. For example, theelectronic device 100 may display, on the screen, the graphic userinterface to request whether or not to execute the application (forexample, health applications, game applications, etc.) that provides aparticular service based on the external sensor package 200.

When the processor of the electronic device 100 determines that anapplication that provides a particular service is not stored in thestorage module 140 based on the identified function, the electronicdevice 100 transmits the signal requesting application information thatprovides the particular service to an external server (for example, aserver 300). The electronic device 100, in response to the transmittedsignal, receives application information that provides the particularservice from the external server (for example, a server 300) based onthe identified function, in operation 909.

In operation 911, the electronic device 100 displays the graphic userinterface on the screen based on the received application information.For example, the electronic device 100 may display, on the screen, acommand item that may store the application in the storage module 140,and an image item representing the type of sensor 220 to be utilized bythe application.

The above described components of the electronic device according tovarious embodiments of the present disclosure may be formed of one ormore components, and a name of a corresponding component element may bechanged based on the type of electronic device. The electronic deviceaccording to the present disclosure may include one or more of theaforementioned components or may further include other additionalcomponents, or some of the aforementioned components may be omitted.Further, some of the components of the electronic device according tothe various embodiments of the present disclosure may be combined toform a single entity, and thus, may equivalently execute functions ofthe corresponding elements prior to the combination.

The apparatuses and methods of the disclosure can be implemented inhardware, and in part as firmware or as machine executable code inconjunction with hardware that is stored on a non-transitory machinereadable medium such as a CD ROM, a RAM, a floppy disk, a hard disk, ora magneto-optical disk, or computer code downloaded over a networkoriginally stored on a remote recording medium or a non-transitorymachine readable medium and stored on a local non-transitory recordingmedium for execution by hardware such as a processor, so that themethods described herein are loaded into hardware such as a generalpurpose computer, or a special processor or in programmable or dedicatedhardware, such as an ASIC or FPGA. As would be understood in the art,the computer, the processor, microprocessor, controller, control unit orother programmable hardware include memory components, e.g., RAM, ROM,Flash, etc. that may store or receive software or computer code thatwhen accessed and executed by the computer, processor or hardwareimplement the processing methods described herein. In addition, it wouldbe recognized that when a general purpose computer accesses code forimplementing the processing shown herein, the execution of the codetransforms the general purpose computer into a special purpose computerfor executing the processing shown herein. In addition, an artisanunderstands and appreciates that a “processor”, “microprocessor”“controller”, or “control unit” or “microcontroller” include hardware inthe claimed disclosure that contain circuitry that is configured foroperation with software or firmware. Under the broadest reasonableinterpretation, the appended claims implement statutory subject matterin compliance with 35 U.S.C. §101.

The definition of the terms “unit” or “module” as referred to herein isto be understood as including hardware circuitry such as a processor ormicroprocessor configured for a certain desired functionality, or acommunication module containing hardware such as transmitter, receiveror transceiver, or a non-transitory medium including machine executablecode that is loaded into and executed by hardware for operation, inaccordance with statutory subject matter under 35 U.S.C. §101 and doesnot include software per se or pure software. Nor is the claimeddisclosure an Abstract idea. The module may be another term for logic,logical block, component, or circuit. The “module” may be the smallestunit of an integrated component or a part thereof. The “module” may bethe smallest unit that performs one or more functions or a part thereof.The “module” may be mechanically or electronically implemented. Forexample, the “module” according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure may include at least one of an Application-SpecificIntegrated Circuit (ASIC) chip, a Field-Programmable Gate Arrays(FPGAs), and a programmable-logic device for performing operations whichhave been known or are to be developed hereafter.

According to various embodiments, at least a part of a device (forexample, modules or functions thereof) or a method (for example,operations) according to the various embodiments of the presentdisclosure may be embodied by, for example, a command stored in acomputer readable storage medium in a form of a programming module. Whenthe instruction is performed by at least one processor (for example, theprocessor 160), the at least one processor may perform a functioncorresponding to the instruction. The computer-readable storage mediummay, for example, be the storage module 130. At least some of theprogramming modules may be implemented (for example, executed) by, forexample, the processor 160. At least a part of the programming modulemay, for example, include a module, a program, a routine, a set ofinstructions, or a process for performing at least one function.

The computer readable recording medium may include magnetic media suchas a hard disc, a floppy disc, and a magnetic tape, optical media suchas a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM) and a digital versatile disc(DVD), magneto-optical media such as a floptical disk, and hardwaredevices specifically configured to store and execute program commands,such as a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and aflash memory. In addition, the program instructions may include highclass language codes, which can be executed in a computer by using aninterpreter, as well as machine codes made by a compiler. Theaforementioned hardware device may be configured to operate as one ormore software modules in order to perform the operation of variousembodiments of the present disclosure, and vice versa.

A module or a programming module according to the present disclosure mayinclude at least one of the described component elements, a few of thecomponent elements may be omitted, or additional component elements maybe included. Operations executed by a module, a programming module, orother component elements according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure may be executed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or ina heuristic manner. Further, some operations may be executed accordingto another order or may be omitted, or other operations may be added.

Meanwhile, the example embodiments disclosed in the specification anddrawings are merely presented to easily describe the technical contentsof the present disclosure and help with the understanding of the presentdisclosure and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.Accordingly, the present disclosure should be construed that allmodifications or modified forms derived based on the technical idea ofthe present disclosure are included in the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device comprising: an interfacethat is communicatively coupled to an accessory including an externalsensor package including at least one sensor; and a processor configuredto: identify whether the accessory including the external sensor packageis communicatively coupled to the electronic device through theinterface, determine, if the accessory including the external sensorpackage is coupled to the electronic device, a type of the sensorincluded in the external sensor package, determine, based on thedetermined the type of the sensor, and control a performance of afunction corresponding to the determined the type of the sensor.
 2. Theelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor sequentiallydetermines respective sensor types when multiple sensors are included inthe recognized external sensor package.
 3. The electronic device ofclaim 2, wherein, when the processor sequentially determines therespective sensor types on the basis of at least one information valueamong a voltage information value sensed by the processor correspondingto the respective sensors and identification information valuescorresponding to the respective sensors.
 4. The electronic device ofclaim 1, wherein the processor is configured to deactivate a functioncorresponding to the type of the sensor that includes the externalsensor package on a basis of status information regarding the electronicdevice.
 5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the processor isfurther configured to control to: check a battery condition of theelectronic device, and deactivate the function corresponding to the typeof the sensor when the checked battery condition reaches apre-configured battery condition; to identify a temperature value of atleast one of the processor and the battery of the electronic device, anddeactivate a particular function corresponding to the type of the sensorwhen the identified temperature value is equal to or greater than apre-configured critical temperature value; and identify a capacitancevalue usable by a non-transitory memory of the electronic device, anddeactivate another particular function corresponding to the type of thesensor when the identified capacitance value is equal to or less than apre-configured critical capacitance value.
 6. The electronic device ofclaim 1, wherein the processor acquires sensor data on a basis of anacquisition period of the sensor data configured in the type of thesensor that includes the external sensor package, or controls anexecution of an application on a basis of the sensor data being providedby the type of the sensor.
 7. The electronic device of claim 1, whereinthe processor identifies the function corresponding to the type of thesensor that includes the external sensor package; determines whether anapplication that provides a particular service is stored on a basis ofthe identified function; and controls, responsive to a determinationthat the application is stored, a display module to display a graphicuser interface associated with the application on a screen.
 8. Theelectronic device of claim 7, further comprising a communication moduleincluding a transmitter that transmits to an external server, responsiveto a determination that the application is not stored, a signalrequesting application information that provides a particular service onthe basis of the identified function.
 9. The electronic device of claim8, wherein the communication module receives, from the external server,the application information that provides the particular service on thebasis of the identified function; and the processor of the electronicdevice controls the display module to display, on the screen, a graphicuser interface associated with the received application on the basis ofthe received application information.
 10. The electronic device of claim9, wherein the graphic user interface associated with the receivedapplication includes at least one image among a thumbnail image of thereceived application, an image associated with sensor data utilized inthe received application, a text image about the function provided fromthe received application, and a shortcut icon image that is selected tostore the received application.
 11. A method for performing a functionusing sensor data of an electronic device comprising: identifyingwhether an accessory including an external sensor package including atleast one sensor is communicatively coupled to the electronic devicethrough an interface of the electronic device; determining, if theaccessory including the external sensor package is communicativelycoupled to the electronic device, a type of the sensor included in theexternal sensor package; to determining, based on the determined thetype of the sensor; and controlling a performance of a functioncorresponding to the determined the type of the sensor.
 12. The methodof claim 11, wherein determining the type of sensor included in therecognized external sensor package by the processor of the electronicdevice comprises: sequentially determining the respective sensor typeswhen multiple sensors are included in the recognized external sensorpackage.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein sequentially determining bythe processor of the electronic device the respective sensor types whenmultiple sensors are included in the recognized external sensor packagecomprises: sequentially determining the types of the respective sensorsof the multiple sensors, based on at least one information value fromamong a voltage information value sensed at the processor correspondingto the respective sensors and an identification information valuecorresponding to the respective sensors.
 14. The method of claim 11,wherein the processor controlling of the performance of a functioncorresponding to the determined type of the sensor comprises:controlling deactivating of a function corresponding to a particulartype of the sensor that includes the external sensor package based onthe status information regarding the electronic device.
 15. The methodof claim 14, wherein the processor controlling to deactivate thefunction corresponding to the type of the sensor that includes theexternal sensor package based on the status information on theelectronic device comprises at least one of: checking a batterycondition of the electronic device, and the processor of the electronicdevice controlling to deactivate the function corresponding to the typeof the sensor that includes the external sensor package when the checkedbattery condition reaches a pre-configured battery condition;identifying a temperature value of at least one of the processor and thebattery of the electronic device, and controlling to deactivate thefunction corresponding to the type of the sensor that includes theexternal sensor package when the identified temperature value is equalto or greater than a pre-configured critical temperature value; andidentifying a capacitance value operable by a memory of the electronicdevice, and controlling to deactivate the function corresponding to thetype of the sensor that includes the external sensor package when theidentified capacitance value is equal to or less than a pre-configuredcritical capacitance value.
 16. The method of claim 11, wherein theprocessor controlling of the performance of the function correspondingto the determined type of the sensor comprises at least one of:acquiring sensor data on a basis of an acquisition period of the sensordata configured in the type of the sensor that includes the externalsensor package; and controlling an execution of an application on abasis of the sensor data provided by the type of the sensor.
 17. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the processor controlling of the performanceof the function corresponding to the determined type of the sensorfurther comprises: identifying the function corresponding to the type ofthe sensor that includes the external sensor package; determiningwhether an application that provides a particular service is stored on abasis of the identified function; and controlling a display module todisplay, on a screen, a graphic user interface associated with a storedapplication in response to determining that the application is stored.18. The method of claim 17, further comprising, in response to theprocessor determining that the application is not stored, transmittingto an external server, a signal requesting application information thatprovides a particular service on the basis of the identified function.19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: receiving, from theexternal server, the application information that provides theparticular service on the basis of the identified function; andcontrolling the display module to display, on an output screen, thegraphic user interface associated with the received application on thebasis of the received application information.
 20. The method of claim19, wherein the graphic user interface associated with the receivedapplication comprises at least one image provided from among a thumbnailimage of the received application, a text image associated with thesensor utilized in the received application, a text image that describesthe function provided by the received application, and a shortcut iconimage that stores the received application.